To link to the entire object, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed the entire object, paste this HTML in websiteTo link to this page, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed this page, paste this HTML in website

The North Star, 1851-04-17, vol. 4 iss. 17 no. 173

00001

The NORTH STAR is published every
Thursday, at No. 25, Buffalo Street,
(Oppositethe Arcade.)
TERMS.
Two dollars per annum, always in advance. No |
[Subscription will be received for a less term than j
six months.
Advertisements not exceeding ten lines inserted I
three times for one dollar; evi-ry subsequent inaer- f
lion, twenty-five cents.
■J km. --.
The ooject ofthe NorthStar will beto abolis
rfLAVEltV in all its forms and aspects; advocat
Universal Emancipation; exalt the standard
of public morality, promote the mora I and mtellec-
u«l improvement ol the Colored People; and
hasten the day of FREEDOM to the Three
Millions of our enslaved fellow countrymen.
PUBLISHER'S NOTICES.
{jtj* All communications relating to the business
matters ofthe paper, names of subscribers, remittances, &c, should be addressed to Frederick
Douglass, Editor, Rochester, N. Y.
0CJ~ Agents, and all others sending names, are
requested to be accurate, and to give the Post office,
the County, and the State. Eacli Subscriber is immediately credited for money received.
{jCJ- Any person sending in payment for four subscribers, to be forwarded to one address, may
have a fifth copy for one year.
All letters and communications must be post paid
FBEDERICK 1)01 (.LASS, Editor and Proprietor.
TERMS—$2 Per Annum, Invariably In Advance.
RIGHT IS OF NO SEX; TRUTH IS OF NO COLOR; GOD IS THE FATHER OF US ALL; AND ALL MEN ARE BRETHREN.
VOL. IV. NO. 17.
ROCHESTER, N. Y., THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 1851.
WHOLE NO. 173.
LIST OF AGENTS.
Massachusetts.—R.h . Wallcut,21, Corhill,
Boston; Nathan Johnson, New Bedford; Horatio
W. Foster Lowell; James N. Bnffum, Lynn;
Bourne Spooner, Plymouth.
Connkcticut.—Jabez Cogswell, Brookfield.
New Vork.—Sydney H. Gay, 142, Nassau
Street; William llarne I, Anti-Slavery Ollice, 61,
John Street; John J. Zuille, 48, Watts Street;
Joseph Post, Westbury, Uueen County; Mary
Harper, Albany, Elms Doty, Macednn; Wil-
efts Keese, Pern, Clinton County; J. F. Piatt,
Penn Van; J. Jeffrey, Geneva; E. L. Piatt, Hath;
Willis Stark, Medina, Orleans Co.; William Bromley, Lockport.
Rao ok Island.—Amarancy Paine,Providence.
Pennsylvania.— J. M. M'Kim, 81, North
Fifth Street, Philada; Wm. Whipper, Columbia;
Milo A. Townsend. Npw Brighton; B. E. Bown,
Salem; Ebenezer Black, 14 Barclay Street, Phila-
deh hia.
New Jersey.—Alfred G Campbell, Paterson.
Ohio.—J. J. Gaines, Cincinnati ; Charles
Hand, Harveysburgh,Clinton Co; Samuel Brooke,
Salem ; D. Huntingdon, Chardun, Gmuiga Co.;
Hu^li Hamilton. Lowellville, Mahoning County; J
D. Patterson, Oberlin; S. I). Jenkins, Columbbus.
Michigan.—Robert Banks, Detroit: Dr. J
B. Barnes, Ow^sso, Shiawasse Co.
Indiana.— Willis Fowles, New Albany.
Illinois. — Heniy O. Waggoner, Chicago;
Marshall Hay ward, Richmond, M'Henry Co.
Iowa.—Alexander Clark, Muscatine.
C* nada .—John J lines Carey. Toronto.
West Indies.—Joseph F. Durham, Esq.,
Tuik's Island.
WILLIAM B. CLOUGH. PRINTER.
2lnH~Slaueru,
SPEECH OF GFO. THOMPSON
TORONTO.
IN
Citizens of Toronto:—The adver-
tiaements which have convened this
meeting have already informed you
that I appear in this hall to-night to deliver a lecture upon the Evils of Slavery. I do so on the invitation of the
Anti-Slavery Society of Canada. I rejoice over the formation of that body,
and that its head quarters are to he in
this beautiful, improving and important
city. It was called into existence, as I
learn from its constitution, to cry
aloud to your neighbors beyond the
lino, to stay their hands from prosecu-
t fig a sys'em of iniquity, and to invite
and urge them by every consideration
arising from our common Christianity,
to put a stop to it forever by the Abolition of Slavery. I am glad to find
that this duty is to be performed in the
spirit of those who entertain the feelings
of brethren and friends toward the inhabitants ofthe neighboring States, and
that you disclaim any desire to inter-
meadie uiiiLtuus v vm..
fair* of that great, growing and mighty
people, from whom you are separated
by so short a distance. The work you
have purposed to yourselves is worthy
of you. and the spirit in which you propose to prosecute it is worthy of you,
and of those with whom you purpose to
co-operate, as of those also, to whom
your Christian remonstrances and
brotherly rebukes will be directed. 1
am rejoiced to find also that you heartily bid God-speed to the noble and
ever-increasing band of Christians and
Patriots in the United Stales, who publicly plead without fear or favor the
cause of their enslaved fellow-citizens.
In this you do well. The true abolitionists of the United States are eminently worthy of your adtniraiion, your
encouragement and God speed. The
world does not contain a nobler band
of men and women. In proportion as
you learn to know them, you will
learn to love them, and to regard
them as that part of the popula
tion ofthe great American Union, who
are doing most for the diffusion of those
Divine principles, which he at the foundation ol the great doctrine of the universal brotherhood of man, and of the
equal regard of our common parent for
a'l the children of the human family.
As a British subject I feel peculiarly
happy in being with you on this occa
•ion. I am increasingly happy to find
myself upon tho same platform in the
new world, with those who have been
my fellow-laborers in the cause ol
Emancipation in the old world—to find
them still alive, active and vigorous in
the cause in which we labored and triumphed on the shores of our native
country, to find, too, that they have
faith in the power and universality ol
the truths which were successfully ap-
ring retribution, it cannot be disjoined from the capacity, improveable-
ness and immortality of the soul. It
concerns the all-important questions of
the inspiration, authority, and interpretation of Scripture. It defines the limit
of human statutes, and settles the question of the paramount claims and obligations ofthe law of individual conscience, and ofGod. It must be studied
if we would know who is our neighbor
and what is our duty towards him, or
to what extent we are authorized in applying the principles of ihe everlasting
gospel and the truths of revalation to
the affairs of the world. As far as I
have been connected wilh the great
question of slavery, it has been with me
a question of politics. It is transcendency—it is infinitely above all human
politics. If there be a principle at the
bottom of this question—or in other
words, if there be any truth in the doctrine that there is a God—that he is the
Creator and Governor of the world—
that he is the sole proprietor of man—
and that man belongs of right to himself, and is responsible only to the Supreme Ruler for his actions, then slavery is not an institution to be
regulated, but a crime to be abolished—not a condition to be modified; but a wrong to be redressed,
then religion and morality demand that
the evil doer return to the allegiance he
owes to God, and the slave be instantly
restored to his rights as a man. This
whole subject revolves itself into the
question. Can man hold properly in
man? If this question be answered in
the affirmative, then we have no ground
to stand upon. Then we are impertinent intermeddlers, whether we speak
against slavery on English, Canadian,
or American soil. But if it be answered in the negative, then our feel
are placed upon a rock, and our commission is, " Go ye into all the world,
and wherever ye find the Divine Creator and .sole proprietor of man dethroned by the usurpation of his prerogative; denounce the daring impiety,
and that God be restored to his rightful
dominion, by the restoration of liberty
to that subject of his government who
who is now held in chattel bondage." Grant that man may hold properly in man, and you are a trespasser
on the plantation, and an invader of legitimate rights. Deny the infernal doc-
trin
ie.
dominion given him by his Creator
ov r the beasts of the field, the fowls of
the air, and the fish ofthe sea—not satisfied with every tree of the garden,—
with every green herb for meat, and
the cattle upon a thousand hills—not
satisfied with the promise that " summer and winter, seed time and harvest
will never cease"—he ^^^
his hand, and taken hold upon that
which God hud reserved for himself—
the only creature made to glorify God,
by the faculties of a deathless soul; —
that creature man has seized—has torn
the crown from his brow—has robbed
him of his dignity, and stamped him as
a beast. Aye, advertises him for sale
with oxen und horses, and lashes him
with a scourge to the shambles, where
he is to be sold! And yet there are
those, in America, who ask whether
slavery is not a religious and divine institution And lor what is man enslaved?
What great purpose is accomplished
by this robbery of God—the sacrilege
of man—ihe wreck of soul—this annihilation of intellect—this wringing ol
the heart-strings of humanity, this degradation of the loftiest being in the
world to the lowest condition of which
a tamed brute is capable? Is there
some grand object of stupendous magnitude, which cannot be accomplished,
unless this be done, and which makes
it expedient if not right, that one portion
of the human race should be sacrificed,
that the rest may be saved? It is, that
a few may be idle themselves, and yet
sell, rice tobacco, sugar and cotton. And
it is asked, Is slavery religious? No
man need ask w.iether slavery be irreligious. Can that be religious which
dethrones God and puts man in his
place? Can that be religious which
strikes at the root—at once of the freedom, responsibility, dignity and happiness of man? Can that be religious
which makes one man a tyrant and another a slave? and creates a gulph between them, wide as that between the
burning seraph near the throne oi
God, and the reptile that lives upon
the vapor of a dungeon? Ask not
whether it can be religious, for your
own heart tells you it is not human:
You shoot without remorse the wild
beast that conies into your fold and
steals the lambs of your flock. Slavery waits tili the agony of the mother
is over, to plunder her of the fruit of
betfer is it at the North? The religion
of the North recognizes the' religion of]
the Souih I have printed letters in
my possession, written by slaveholding
ministers, since I came tfr America,
boasting of the fraternal greeting ev
ery where given them in the free States.
—ofthe pulpits thrown open to them—
has put forth! of the sacraments administered by them,
and reporting the state ot the religious
mind, as sound and healthy on the subject of slavery, What a fearful revelation has the late fugili''■", 'aye law led
to. It mighi have beitti sent to prove
to the world, the deeply corrupt state
of the Northern American Churches.
Christendom may stand aghast at the
doctrines which have been preached by
ihe descendants of the Puritans, since
that Bill became the law of the United
States. Take the entire range of
Northern literature cf every class—I.
The penny papers that cater for the appetites of tho multitude.—2, The papers that are the organs of trade and
commerce.—3, The papers that support political parties—4, The papers
that are the representatives of religious
denominations.—5, The periodical literature, in the shape of magazines,
reviews and miscellanies. Either they
stoutly defend slavery—meanly apologize for slavery, or are profoundly silent on the subject. An American
cannot name the influential periodical
journal, that writes in favor of humanity, and directly and equivocally condemns slavery. I have now referred
to that description of literature which
is carfully provided for the known
moral and intellectual palates of the
people. Are you not justified in inferring the state of the public mind from
these vindications? T&ke graver works.
Works on moral prilosophy. Reprints
of English works. Works on American
History. Works on Political Economy. All contain the proofs, positive
or negative, of the fact, that the spirit
of slavery reigns in the department of
literature, as supremely as in the Cotton and rice fields of Alabama or Car-
l°<Ifthf^arfKSl!S,0^'UH^ VVOKb' ^nd t0 ^rite bea^upoi'that"
h
s
She
be
—arT i
crow;.
tor w ^
of his children—the" upholder of His!'-of immortality.- How appalling is the,
government—aye, and the savior olf fjtate of America, when v«eweti \n con-|
lM slaveholder himself. Go forth in ' ^ection with the prostration of politics
the strong belief that man cannot have! literature, commerce, social intercourse,
from their fellow immortal beings and
enter no protest against laws which
punish the second offence of teaching
the Bible with the penalty of death.—
Christians of Toronto, of all sects! I
summon you to-night to the rescue ol
pure and undefiled religion from the
dishonor cast upon it by slavery in the
United States of America, if a nation
is to be judged by its Iruits, and ac
cording to the prevailing influence*
which directs, controls and domineer.-
in every department—in the field—on
the exchange—m the closet of ihe author—the study of the minister—the
Assembly of the Presbyterian — the
Conference of the Methodist—the Hall
of Legislation—the Cabinet of the
General Government—I ask you who
is the God of America? Is this the
God who hath " made of one blood all
nations of men to dwell on all the face
of the earth, and hath determined the
bounds of their habitation"—the God
who is " no respecter of persons, who
directed Philip to join himself to the
Eihiopian Eunuch" — who hath said,
" Cry aloud, spare not,"—ihe God who
spake from the burning bush—who sent
his son to seek and save the lost—
whose tender mercies are over all his
works? Is this the God who is served
in America? I see a consistency between the religion and the acts of thp
devil-worshippers of interior Africa.—
The medicine mummeries of the North
American Indian correspond with the
habits and pursuits of these children ot
ihe wilderness. I can understand the
degraded, dishonored, infamous; redeem me, and let me be again the glory
of him who tills the soil. Morality
says, Behold me—I am wounded, violated, struck down; let me once again
stand erect to teach man his duties and
be the guardian of human rights. The
negro says, Have pity upon me, and
transform me irom a beast into a man.
Have pity on that woman, my concu
bine, whom I may not make my wife.
Behold my empty table plundered of its*
contents, my daughter polluted and ruined.
Let us turn to the bright side of the
picture. If there is slavery in the U.
S., there is also anti-slayery. If there
are those who prostitute their talents
and influence to the support of slavery,
there are those also who devote themselves, time, talents, property, health,
reputation and all, to the cause of the
slave. If there are those who pas-
fugitive slave bills, there are those who
execrate those bills, and hold them to
be atrocious violations, under the name
of law, of every precept, divine and
human, pointing to the duties which
man owes to his fellow-man. The anti-
slavery cause is advancing with majestic strides. Its aspect is truly sublime. When I was formerly in the U.
S., the abolitionists were few, and then -
fore despised; now, their name is Legion. Now they speak, and the Legislature listens. Now they issue their
command, anJ it is obeyed. Twenty
years of unceasing effort has made this
the question of questions. In the anti
olina. These are startling and affect-j oq,cile it, as
ing signs ofthe times. Look again
thejtameness—the submissiveness—'
Persic fire worshipper when he bows slavery ranks is to be found intellect as
before the sacred flame, or hails the j lofty as any to be found in the ranks oi
sun as he comes forth from the chambers of the east. 1 can understand the
Mahomedan—the warrior of the faith—
who goes forth with the sword in one
hand and the Koran in the other, to
spread the religion of the Prophet. 1
can understand the Hindoo when he
washes in the Ganges, or prostrates
himself under the wheels of Juggernaut; but i cannot understand the religion of Amer"*-a, and .least of all rec-
alrrf-
property in man, and you are at once
a co-worker with God. You are at
once in harmony with universal truth
—your doctrine finds an echo in every
human heart—the consciences of ah
men are on your side—you have at
once enlisted the affections, agonies,
exaltations and hopes of humanity on
your side. Can man hold property in
man? Can man become a God on the
one hand? can man become a beast on
the other? Can the master be man
and God in the same person? or can
t ie slave be man and beast in the same
person? Can a creature own an equal
tellow-creature ? Can the potsherd say
unto the potsherd---" Thou art miner"
Can the sinner be God over his fellow:
Or can another man, formed like him,
be at once free to serve God, and
doomed to serve a man? Be a rational,
immortal and accountable soul in his
relation to God—a marketable, degraded beast, who may be manacled,
scourged, branded, hunted and shot
like a wild animal, in his relation to
man? Has the master a soul? So has
the slave. Is the master responsible?
So is the slave. Has the master affections? So has the slave. Does the
masti r hope fear, rejoice ? So does the
slave. Must the master be free, that
he may fulfil the purposes for which he
was born, and glorify God in the use of
his faculties? So equally must the
man he calls his property. Would the
master, if he were made a slave, regard his doom as worse than death and
lose the crown of glory from his brow?
It is even so with the slave. Away for
plied to our own Colonial s.ystem of ne- ever then with the doctrine that has
gro bondage. This is as it should be.
We won the victory over West Indian
bondage—not because we were Brit
ons, but because the truths we
preached were divine, universal, and
eternal. This is no question of latitude and longitude—it is a human
question. I ask not, is the slave my
fellow-subject, but is he a man? I ask
not, do I stand upon British or American soil, but am 1 still in God's dominions? Am I still under the law of the
Supreme Ruler, and are the great
filled the world with woe, that man,
whose breath is in his nostrils, can have
property in his fellow man. If these
views be admitted to be correct, with
what feelings must that system be regarded which makes merchandize of
three millions of the human race, or
one hundred and twenty times as many
as the entire population of the City of
Toronto. A system, too, which entails
slavery upon the posterity of these
three millions to the very latest generation. Yet, such is the system which
and religion, before the spirit of sla
very! To the man who looks through
forms, ceremonies, professions and
creeds, to the actual and pervading
spirit of a nation, America seems to
have no actuating principle but slavery ;
no God but slavery. At the South, the
soil is monopolized by it. It overshadows millions of acres of the fairest
portions of God's creation. Every
portion of the population is under its
direct and absolute influence. The
patrician class are the slaveholders.
Their wealth is computed in slaves.
Their influence regulated by the number ol their slaves. Their respectsb 1
ity measuied by the number of slaves.
The slaves themselves are nothing besides slave--. Their muscular power—
their mechanic skill—their powers o.
endurance—their spiritual intelligence
—their personal beauty—the r fecun-
di y, as beings capable of multiplying
iheir species—all weighed, tested, appraised, in connection with slavery.
The free people of color as they are
called in mockery, are regarded as below contempt. Having no marketable
value, they are nuisances, eye-sores,
and abominations—the very filth and
oftscouring of the body tolitic, to be
got rid of, as soon as means can be devised, to gather them up as the scum
ot humanity to be thrown off the surface of society, The non-slaveholding
whites in the South are a race of mongrels, who exist, not live; who are tolerated, not encouraged; and who have
no status or position among their own
kind. What the state of morals in such
a community must be, it needs no statistics nor newspaper facts to prove.
We know, however, from the records
of every day, as well as from the deductions of reason, the condition ofthe
South in regard to morals. We know
that, superadded to the vices of the free
States, there are crimes and immoralities peculiar to the region of slavery.
We know, that human lusts are without a check or restrairt. We know,
that all that is precious to one of the
milt
bav
he*
ft
okfulness with which
herself to be depriv-
md her citizei
■eated worst; '
crews of hr
f their cii
'ungT' as.
jws be
.« ploup
seen in the lives of its
sot., that religion of love,
>bject, aim, spirit, duties, blesses, rewards, honors and glo-
-p.t-tv! whose founder came
j to the captive,
;e prison to them
herever 1 travel ifl
in the realms of sla-
""""•"•gmfie.ent and.
beir boa
be burrteti
ned, im; risoi,
dd, and shot like
anu utters a word ot
strance. What is the only s. j^ci
which will now raise a mob?—Abolition. What is the worst character a
man can bear in the Church?—The
character of being an abolitionist
What is the opinion a man takes most
pains to conceal?—Tip opinion that
Slavery is a curse and a disgrace to
the country. What class of men, of all
others, is it that may be ridiculed and
libelled with impunity—in the pulpit, in
public letters, in lyceums, at dinners,
on political platforms?—Abolitionists,
what meetings are they to which row-
tliesand little boys know they may go—
to shuffle, whistle, crow,and cough with
impunity?—The meetings of abolitionists. What religious views are termed
principles of morality and justice" still at this moment sheds its baleful influ
tha same? If my brother is held in un
just bondage, my message is the same,
whether it be to my own or any other
human government. Thus saith the
lord, "break every yoke, and let the
oppressed go free". I have come
amongst you to ciacuss the question on
no low or narrow, grounds. In my
mind it links itself indissolubly with
every topic within the entire range of
religion and human duty. It ascends
to the very being of God, and has to do
with His character, His attributes, and
His moral government ofthe world. It
entwines itself around the spiritual nature, hopes, fears, joys, sorrows—the
present condition and future destinies
of man. It must be understood before
we ean comprehend man's responsibilities, or know the meaning of the command " I am the Lord thy God, ant
thou shnlt have no other God befon
me." This question cannot be separated fom 'he r'o^tnne of a future auc
ec^ft' judgment,, and of a just and uner-
heresies? Those that view man as
man, whatever be his color or hiscoun-j
try. What slave is it of all the slaves
in the world, that an American may
not succour?—The slave born in his
own country, and perchance the son ol
one of its most distinguished patriots.
What animal is it that a Southern man
my hunt over all the valleys, hills and
plains ofthe free States?—Man! The
American Game Laws grant licenses
to hunt this animal throughout the
land, and make it a crime—nay,treason
—to attempt to succor, defend, or
rescue the prey of the blood-scenters
of the South, when on the track ol the
flying and quivering fugitive. No
American will deny that I have drawn
a true picture of the state of his
country.
No American will deny that the pro-
slavery sentiment is the paramount sentiment ofthe United States. Slavery
in America is superior to all law, for ii
is the controlling spirit of the country.
There is no higher code than the
bloody enactments of slavery. The
great religious controversy at this moment in the United States is upon the
sexes, is the sport of those who live to [question, whether there is any higher
ence over every part of the Great Republic to which you are so near neighbors. Three millions of imbru'ed men,
women and children, the chattels of
20,000 tyrannical and sordid men—the
disgrace, as they are the curse of their
species. A money-making confederation, to which the stock is in human
hearts and human souls. While other
men call themselves rich in flocks, and
herds, and fields and farms, these men
count their riches according to the
number of souls that tremble at their
glance, and the capacity of their human cattle to increase and multiply.
They rear children as you would rear
sheep or calves—they put beauty, and
lovliness, and youth, and purity, and intelligence aritl piety up at auction, and
sell them to the highest bidder". They
sell their own children without remorse,
and are filling the shambles of America
■vith the best blood of Virginia and the
gratify their passions. We know, that
marriage—as an indissoluble tie, as a
legal contract, as protected by law, as
giving the husband the right to defend
the wife, is utterly unknown amongst
the three millions of the South. We
know that a bear in the forest, has a
better chance of rearing unmolested her
whelps, and of keeping them when she
has reared them, than the human
mother who suckles slaves. We know,
law than the Fugitive Slave Law; and
the majority—the vast majority of the
Divines go for the superior authority of
the Congress, and preach openly to
their congregations, that thus saith
Millard Fillmore, is more binding than
thus saith the Lord; and that a letter
signed Daniel Webster is infinitely
more worthy of attention than the Ser-
tfion on the Mount. If anything more
than another can prove the horrid in-
that symmetry and beauty, are the cur-1 fluence and dominion of slavery in the
ses of their owners, and mark them out| United States, it is the-fact that because
for infamy and perdition. We know,
that Religion is made to coalesce with
this state of things. That the ministers
of religion are slaveholders, slave-
breeders, graziers in human cattle,
slave-whippers; and the friends, copartners, and co-plunderers, with the
vilest of the vile of the intelligent creation. We know, that humanity is a
crime. The love of equal freedom—the
unpardonable sin; and that the priesthood consent to the martyrdom of the
the demon hates the Bible, the Chris
tian denominations of that country have
consented to withhold it from the three
millions of Southern slaves. Yet, if
any portion of the human race need
the Bible, heaven knows, it is the
slaves. This has always appeared to
me the fact which above ail others
...«a) in verou. _ and
are towering steeples
s priests, and bus)
*r to worship, and a
beginning round oi
a and observances—
re .„..u and ostentatious procla-
ons of the duties and obligations oi
religion, and thanksgivings, and feasts,
and festivals; but all these hide not from
ihe sight the presence of the foul demon
of slavery—his spirit is everywhere—
hia dominion universal—his will depot-
ic. The glorious external creation
seems but the vestibule of his glorious
te.'nple, and all tha rites and ceremonies
of the people seem to be subordinate
io the profound and soul-prostrating
homage paid to this insatiate fiend,who
has seated himself above all that is
called God, and daily demands the living death of three millions of the human race. Amidst all the ten pies ol
America, I see another, and entering
its dreary portals, and penetrating to
the chamber where sits this God ol
America, I behold him amid all the
symbols of pollution and woe, with bis
heel upon the manacled form of American Liberty, surrounded by crushed
hearts, darkened souls, deflowered
maidens, weeping Rachels, and lustful
tyrants—issuing his mandates for the
enslavement of a continent—swaying a
sceptre of scorpions over his quivering
victims—a sceptre of iron over his voluntary, self-degraded vassals, and with
demoniacal exultation exclaiming—See
how these Christians love one another!
And this is the system that has to be
abolished. Oh, this anti-slavery cause
is a cause of surpassing greatness.—
There is nothing little about it but its
advocates. If we would swell beyond
tbe dwarfish dimensions of our own
narrow souis—our own petty prejudices
j—let us gaze often and long-upon the
fabric we are seeking to extirpate.—
There is real grandeur in the gloomy
vastness of the huge superstructure of
guilt we pre seeking to abolish. Try
to measure Its ciicumference, and you
will fail. Let down the line into the
horrid abyss, and you shall bring it up
again, exclaiming — " O the depths!"
Try to count the groans, and agonies,
and sighs pressed by this system into
every instant of time, and arithmetic
shall fail you. Try to penetrate the
future and to grasp the issues of this
system, and your imagination, halting
and weary, shall give up in despair.—
Try to compute the value of one ofthe
millions of souls daily imbruted by this
system—put it into the scale against
the material universe, and it shall make
the vast magnificence of unintelligent
creation to kick the beam,—then try to
compute the value of the slaves, past,
present, and to come. Take up this
work as one of mere humanity—of
mercy to animals. Oh, it is far higher
and holier than this. Christianity must
be exhumed from her sepulchre, and
you must roll away the stone, The
genius of liberty must be disenthralled,
slavery, and an amount of moral cour
age and indomitable zeal and persevet-
ance never excelled in the prosecution
of any other enterprise, not excepting
those of an exclusively religious character. In this conflict, the abolitionists
ask and have a right to expect the t ym-
oathy and aid of the entire civihze.t
world; and the man who is not willing
to give them that which they ask, is n<
friend of liberty* I have been told
since I came to this city, that there are
those in it who inquire, What have we«|
to do with this matter? If any such
persons are here, I would say, Everything. Are you separated geographically and politically from the country
where slavery reigns? We are for thai
very reason the persons best ah' ^to
form an unbiassed and sound ju^*
on the question at issue. T
■ in"■ '' ^jUcDiiuii iliai, V<u»\,
i.oj-s of man, the glory of Uod, or
hopes and destinies of the human ra-
We have to do wilh this question, f- .
lies at the foundation of your own
rights as a portion of the human family. The cause of liberty is one all
over the world. What have you to do
with this question? The slave is youi
brother and you cannot dissolve thai
Union. While he remains God's child,
he will remain your brother. He is
helpless and you are free and powerful,
and if you neglect him, you are not doing as you would have others do to you,
were you in bonds. Know you not that
it is God's method to save man by man,
and that man is only great and honorable and blest himself, as he is the friend
and defender of those who need his aid:
You are dwellers on a continent with
three millions of slaves. Their sighs
come to you with every breeze from the
South. Oh, haste to help them, thai
ihis glorious continent may be freed
from its pollution and its curse. Give
the fugitive your aid. You have thus
far done nobly. Continue to receive
kindly and to cherish hospitably on
these shores the refugees from the
house of American bondage. Give the
abolitionists your sympathy. Let them
hear in tones louder than those of Niagara your words of encouragement—
your hearty God-speed. It will refresh
-and reanimate them in their work, and
cause them to gird up their loins and
renew the struggle. The influence I
ask you to exert is moral influence, and
against that there can be no legitimate
objection, as there can be no effectual
resistance. Let your weapons be those
of truth, reason and religion, and the
time shall come when, from sea to sea,
and from the Arctic regions to Panama,
this soil shall be sacred to freedom .
Mr. Thompson was ft equently interrupted by enthusiastic bursts of applause, and sat down amidst continued
cheering.
After a few remarks from Frederick
Douglass, the Rev. Dr. Burns closed
the meeting with prayer.— Toronto Patriot.
SORROWS OF SEWING WOMEN.
A meeting of Sewing Women of this
city was held a few eveni >gs since io
consider what means might be devised
to improve their circumstances and
prospects. In the coarse of the evening a pale, feeble looking woman rose
and asked leave to make some state-
ments. In a modest unaffected strain
she proceeded to unfold a little of her
own experience. She had sought employment in shirt-making, as the only
means she could adopt for self-support,
and has been engaged by a house interested in supplying the California
market. The price allowed her was 10
cents each, and by the closest application she had succeeded in sewing two
shirts a day, or one dozen per week.
She rented a room for which she paid
sixty-two and a half cents a week, out
of her earnings of one dollar and
twenty cents, leaving fifty-seven and a
half cents for fuel, food, clothing, light,
&c, for a whole week!!
For three weeks she had not tasted
meat, except once at the house of ft
lady who asked her to dine. Her
daily fare was bread and tea, and small
allowances ofihcse. The same drawing
of tea was doubtless washed over and
over again till it no longer discolored
ihe water, and this, with the dry bread,
was to furnish the nourishment thai
was to support her through the long
Hours of application. No wonder she
was pale, no wonder her fiail fiama
•rembled and at times seemed ready to
^ink to the floor. She sat down, and a
momentary silence followed, and tears
started in many eyes, and many hearts
were burdened with emotion.
It was enough to call up tears and
burdened the heart, that plain, simple
iale of unrequited toil and suffering.
But, alas, how many more worthy, vir=
tuous, lovely women, capable of being
the angels of home and missionaries of
tenderness and pity among the dia-<
fressed, could tell the same tale, and
woe. We may reckon them by thou«
sands in this city. They are toiling
from twelve to fifteen hours out of tha
twenty-four, and all they make barely
keeps them from starvation. Every
chip, or stick, or piece of coal added to
he little fire over which the poor sew»
ing woman shivers, is parted with sor~
rowfully; she knows not how to make
the fuel last till her task is done. Sha
does not expect to be warm, only to
keep her fingers from stiffening, that
she may sew, sew, sew. She takes
tier dry bread and so-called tea, not ex=
pecting to be refreshed, but only kept
from sinking, that she may sew, sew,
sew. Perhaps she is a widow, and a
little one claims part of her time and
care. But she has no time to love and
fondle it. She can only think of keep»
ing it from hunger and cold. The infant itself, accustomed to its mother's
anxious look, looks anxious too, and
rarely smiles. It is a desperate struggle for life that is going on among all
hese sewing women, and the wonder
is that death and starvation are held at
bay so long. Not less wonderful is it
that we can know of such a struggle
going on in our midst, and not be in an-
,uish oi heart till something is done to
succor the sufferers.
^ree of suffering endured by
our fellow-citizens is in-
i winter when fuel is so dear
'^: - • •- i.^-p iii^m i
lething may be done io a! •
our standing charities.but
rll, of shockingly depressed
wagv.., calls for another and more radical treatment. What shall be done,
and when?—JV. F. Organ.
GEORGE LUNT.
We wonder if the cold passionless
looking being, called Geo. Lunt, who
we saw acting as United States Attor«=
ney, during the examination of the alleged rescuers of " Shadrach," is the
" George Lunt who was born in Newbury port in 1807,"and who is designated by Griswold, in his Poets and Poetry of America, as one whose pieces
are remarkable for that " purity of
taought which distinguishes the writings of the Christian bards!" If the
persons are identical, there must hara
oeen some legerdemain practiced td
change the soul which used to belong
io this particular body. The Hindoos
believe that at death the spirits of tha
departed find local habitations in the
bodies of cows, heifers, pigs, dogs,
lions, tigers and other animals. We
cannot say that we believe in this doctrine of metempsychosis, but if th*
George Lont who used to write poetry
in praise of freemen and freedom, is
identical with George Lunt, the human slave hunting blood hound-in-chief
lor Massachusetts, then we must be-*
lieve that these Hindoos knew a thing
or two. Perhaps the spirit of a wolf
has dispossessed from the cavities of
George Kent's body the human soul
that used to exclaim,
"i\ly burning heart I will not lend,
To serve a doming dispot's away;
A suppliant knee 1 will nut bend
Before these things of bias's and clay,"
for the George Lunt who prosecutes
Christians now a days, and lends his
whole heart and energies ta save a
"despot's sway," and if he d.7£S £Ct
bend to things of brass and clay, ho
bends to a metal that can be more conveniently put in the pocket, and counts
higher in the rate of values amongst the
money changers, We are decidedly
of opinion that if the two George Lunts
resolve themselves into one, then the
nature which the devil intended for
some swine of Tartarus, must have got
into the wrong place, in order to qual"
ify a man with meanness and ferocity
I sufficient to make him the willing myr-
madon of a shameless, malignant, implacable, persecutor of every man
who loves liberty, and who believes
that the laws of the Lord God regnant
in the heavens and on earth, are paramount to the edicts of kidnapperi.—>
The Cost of WAR.-—Give me the
money that has been spent in war, and
I will purchase every foot of land upon
the globe, I wiil clothe every man.
woman, and child in an attire of which
kings and Queens would be proud. I
will build a school-house on every hillside, and in every valley over the whole
earth; I will build an academy in every
town, and endow it; a colege. in every
state, and fill it with able professors; I Mass- &py-
will crown every hill with a place of Xhp. Memory of the Dead.—It ig
worship, consecrated to the promulga- an exquisite and beautiful thing in our
tion ofthe Gospel of peace; I will sup-j nature, that when the heart is touched
port in every pulpit an able teacher of: an(] softened by some tranquil happi-
Carolinas. Oh, what a monster isj emancipatist, and will fold the clothes
man !^Not satisfied wilh the legitimate I of those who stone him, How much
proved the demoralizing influence and and you must break her bonds. Mind,
atheistical character of slavery—that immortal, illimitable mind, waits to be
men who profess to regard the Bible as let into liberty and life. The Bible, in
the Word of God and the revelation of chains, cries, Emancipate me and let
righteousness, so that on every Sabbath
morning the chime on one hill should
answer to the chime on another ro und
the earth's wide circumference; and
the voice of prayer and the song of
praise should ascend like a universal
holocaust to Heaven.—B. Brown.
A man named Gtoige Thompson,
from Massachutts, being in a Southern
Slate lately, narrowly escaped being
ness or affectionate feeling, the me«=
mory of the dead comes over it most
powerfully and irresistibly. It would
almost seen as though our better
thoughts and sympathies were charms,
| in virtue of which the soul is enable to
j hold some vague and mysterious intercourse with the spirit of ihoBe whom we
dearly love in life. Alas! how often
and how long ma) those patient angels
hover above us, watching for the spell
dehbaratel v'a^t Z °1.T' t^u I ^ F ^ The •a/lhkca,l«? De,river I 'ynched °* '"count of his incendiarj [ which is so seldom uttered and so soon
deliberately consent to see it withheld I me from my curse, Labor cries, I am I name, . forgotten!—Ditfoni.

The NORTH STAR is published every
Thursday, at No. 25, Buffalo Street,
(Oppositethe Arcade.)
TERMS.
Two dollars per annum, always in advance. No |
[Subscription will be received for a less term than j
six months.
Advertisements not exceeding ten lines inserted I
three times for one dollar; evi-ry subsequent inaer- f
lion, twenty-five cents.
■J km. --.
The ooject ofthe NorthStar will beto abolis
rfLAVEltV in all its forms and aspects; advocat
Universal Emancipation; exalt the standard
of public morality, promote the mora I and mtellec-
u«l improvement ol the Colored People; and
hasten the day of FREEDOM to the Three
Millions of our enslaved fellow countrymen.
PUBLISHER'S NOTICES.
{jtj* All communications relating to the business
matters ofthe paper, names of subscribers, remittances, &c, should be addressed to Frederick
Douglass, Editor, Rochester, N. Y.
0CJ~ Agents, and all others sending names, are
requested to be accurate, and to give the Post office,
the County, and the State. Eacli Subscriber is immediately credited for money received.
{jCJ- Any person sending in payment for four subscribers, to be forwarded to one address, may
have a fifth copy for one year.
All letters and communications must be post paid
FBEDERICK 1)01 (.LASS, Editor and Proprietor.
TERMS—$2 Per Annum, Invariably In Advance.
RIGHT IS OF NO SEX; TRUTH IS OF NO COLOR; GOD IS THE FATHER OF US ALL; AND ALL MEN ARE BRETHREN.
VOL. IV. NO. 17.
ROCHESTER, N. Y., THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 1851.
WHOLE NO. 173.
LIST OF AGENTS.
Massachusetts.—R.h . Wallcut,21, Corhill,
Boston; Nathan Johnson, New Bedford; Horatio
W. Foster Lowell; James N. Bnffum, Lynn;
Bourne Spooner, Plymouth.
Connkcticut.—Jabez Cogswell, Brookfield.
New Vork.—Sydney H. Gay, 142, Nassau
Street; William llarne I, Anti-Slavery Ollice, 61,
John Street; John J. Zuille, 48, Watts Street;
Joseph Post, Westbury, Uueen County; Mary
Harper, Albany, Elms Doty, Macednn; Wil-
efts Keese, Pern, Clinton County; J. F. Piatt,
Penn Van; J. Jeffrey, Geneva; E. L. Piatt, Hath;
Willis Stark, Medina, Orleans Co.; William Bromley, Lockport.
Rao ok Island.—Amarancy Paine,Providence.
Pennsylvania.— J. M. M'Kim, 81, North
Fifth Street, Philada; Wm. Whipper, Columbia;
Milo A. Townsend. Npw Brighton; B. E. Bown,
Salem; Ebenezer Black, 14 Barclay Street, Phila-
deh hia.
New Jersey.—Alfred G Campbell, Paterson.
Ohio.—J. J. Gaines, Cincinnati ; Charles
Hand, Harveysburgh,Clinton Co; Samuel Brooke,
Salem ; D. Huntingdon, Chardun, Gmuiga Co.;
Hu^li Hamilton. Lowellville, Mahoning County; J
D. Patterson, Oberlin; S. I). Jenkins, Columbbus.
Michigan.—Robert Banks, Detroit: Dr. J
B. Barnes, Ow^sso, Shiawasse Co.
Indiana.— Willis Fowles, New Albany.
Illinois. — Heniy O. Waggoner, Chicago;
Marshall Hay ward, Richmond, M'Henry Co.
Iowa.—Alexander Clark, Muscatine.
C* nada .—John J lines Carey. Toronto.
West Indies.—Joseph F. Durham, Esq.,
Tuik's Island.
WILLIAM B. CLOUGH. PRINTER.
2lnH~Slaueru,
SPEECH OF GFO. THOMPSON
TORONTO.
IN
Citizens of Toronto:—The adver-
tiaements which have convened this
meeting have already informed you
that I appear in this hall to-night to deliver a lecture upon the Evils of Slavery. I do so on the invitation of the
Anti-Slavery Society of Canada. I rejoice over the formation of that body,
and that its head quarters are to he in
this beautiful, improving and important
city. It was called into existence, as I
learn from its constitution, to cry
aloud to your neighbors beyond the
lino, to stay their hands from prosecu-
t fig a sys'em of iniquity, and to invite
and urge them by every consideration
arising from our common Christianity,
to put a stop to it forever by the Abolition of Slavery. I am glad to find
that this duty is to be performed in the
spirit of those who entertain the feelings
of brethren and friends toward the inhabitants ofthe neighboring States, and
that you disclaim any desire to inter-
meadie uiiiLtuus v vm..
fair* of that great, growing and mighty
people, from whom you are separated
by so short a distance. The work you
have purposed to yourselves is worthy
of you. and the spirit in which you propose to prosecute it is worthy of you,
and of those with whom you purpose to
co-operate, as of those also, to whom
your Christian remonstrances and
brotherly rebukes will be directed. 1
am rejoiced to find also that you heartily bid God-speed to the noble and
ever-increasing band of Christians and
Patriots in the United Stales, who publicly plead without fear or favor the
cause of their enslaved fellow-citizens.
In this you do well. The true abolitionists of the United States are eminently worthy of your adtniraiion, your
encouragement and God speed. The
world does not contain a nobler band
of men and women. In proportion as
you learn to know them, you will
learn to love them, and to regard
them as that part of the popula
tion ofthe great American Union, who
are doing most for the diffusion of those
Divine principles, which he at the foundation ol the great doctrine of the universal brotherhood of man, and of the
equal regard of our common parent for
a'l the children of the human family.
As a British subject I feel peculiarly
happy in being with you on this occa
•ion. I am increasingly happy to find
myself upon tho same platform in the
new world, with those who have been
my fellow-laborers in the cause ol
Emancipation in the old world—to find
them still alive, active and vigorous in
the cause in which we labored and triumphed on the shores of our native
country, to find, too, that they have
faith in the power and universality ol
the truths which were successfully ap-
ring retribution, it cannot be disjoined from the capacity, improveable-
ness and immortality of the soul. It
concerns the all-important questions of
the inspiration, authority, and interpretation of Scripture. It defines the limit
of human statutes, and settles the question of the paramount claims and obligations ofthe law of individual conscience, and ofGod. It must be studied
if we would know who is our neighbor
and what is our duty towards him, or
to what extent we are authorized in applying the principles of ihe everlasting
gospel and the truths of revalation to
the affairs of the world. As far as I
have been connected wilh the great
question of slavery, it has been with me
a question of politics. It is transcendency—it is infinitely above all human
politics. If there be a principle at the
bottom of this question—or in other
words, if there be any truth in the doctrine that there is a God—that he is the
Creator and Governor of the world—
that he is the sole proprietor of man—
and that man belongs of right to himself, and is responsible only to the Supreme Ruler for his actions, then slavery is not an institution to be
regulated, but a crime to be abolished—not a condition to be modified; but a wrong to be redressed,
then religion and morality demand that
the evil doer return to the allegiance he
owes to God, and the slave be instantly
restored to his rights as a man. This
whole subject revolves itself into the
question. Can man hold properly in
man? If this question be answered in
the affirmative, then we have no ground
to stand upon. Then we are impertinent intermeddlers, whether we speak
against slavery on English, Canadian,
or American soil. But if it be answered in the negative, then our feel
are placed upon a rock, and our commission is, " Go ye into all the world,
and wherever ye find the Divine Creator and .sole proprietor of man dethroned by the usurpation of his prerogative; denounce the daring impiety,
and that God be restored to his rightful
dominion, by the restoration of liberty
to that subject of his government who
who is now held in chattel bondage." Grant that man may hold properly in man, and you are a trespasser
on the plantation, and an invader of legitimate rights. Deny the infernal doc-
trin
ie.
dominion given him by his Creator
ov r the beasts of the field, the fowls of
the air, and the fish ofthe sea—not satisfied with every tree of the garden,—
with every green herb for meat, and
the cattle upon a thousand hills—not
satisfied with the promise that " summer and winter, seed time and harvest
will never cease"—he ^^^
his hand, and taken hold upon that
which God hud reserved for himself—
the only creature made to glorify God,
by the faculties of a deathless soul; —
that creature man has seized—has torn
the crown from his brow—has robbed
him of his dignity, and stamped him as
a beast. Aye, advertises him for sale
with oxen und horses, and lashes him
with a scourge to the shambles, where
he is to be sold! And yet there are
those, in America, who ask whether
slavery is not a religious and divine institution And lor what is man enslaved?
What great purpose is accomplished
by this robbery of God—the sacrilege
of man—ihe wreck of soul—this annihilation of intellect—this wringing ol
the heart-strings of humanity, this degradation of the loftiest being in the
world to the lowest condition of which
a tamed brute is capable? Is there
some grand object of stupendous magnitude, which cannot be accomplished,
unless this be done, and which makes
it expedient if not right, that one portion
of the human race should be sacrificed,
that the rest may be saved? It is, that
a few may be idle themselves, and yet
sell, rice tobacco, sugar and cotton. And
it is asked, Is slavery religious? No
man need ask w.iether slavery be irreligious. Can that be religious which
dethrones God and puts man in his
place? Can that be religious which
strikes at the root—at once of the freedom, responsibility, dignity and happiness of man? Can that be religious
which makes one man a tyrant and another a slave? and creates a gulph between them, wide as that between the
burning seraph near the throne oi
God, and the reptile that lives upon
the vapor of a dungeon? Ask not
whether it can be religious, for your
own heart tells you it is not human:
You shoot without remorse the wild
beast that conies into your fold and
steals the lambs of your flock. Slavery waits tili the agony of the mother
is over, to plunder her of the fruit of
betfer is it at the North? The religion
of the North recognizes the' religion of]
the Souih I have printed letters in
my possession, written by slaveholding
ministers, since I came tfr America,
boasting of the fraternal greeting ev
ery where given them in the free States.
—ofthe pulpits thrown open to them—
has put forth! of the sacraments administered by them,
and reporting the state ot the religious
mind, as sound and healthy on the subject of slavery, What a fearful revelation has the late fugili''■", 'aye law led
to. It mighi have beitti sent to prove
to the world, the deeply corrupt state
of the Northern American Churches.
Christendom may stand aghast at the
doctrines which have been preached by
ihe descendants of the Puritans, since
that Bill became the law of the United
States. Take the entire range of
Northern literature cf every class—I.
The penny papers that cater for the appetites of tho multitude.—2, The papers that are the organs of trade and
commerce.—3, The papers that support political parties—4, The papers
that are the representatives of religious
denominations.—5, The periodical literature, in the shape of magazines,
reviews and miscellanies. Either they
stoutly defend slavery—meanly apologize for slavery, or are profoundly silent on the subject. An American
cannot name the influential periodical
journal, that writes in favor of humanity, and directly and equivocally condemns slavery. I have now referred
to that description of literature which
is carfully provided for the known
moral and intellectual palates of the
people. Are you not justified in inferring the state of the public mind from
these vindications? T&ke graver works.
Works on moral prilosophy. Reprints
of English works. Works on American
History. Works on Political Economy. All contain the proofs, positive
or negative, of the fact, that the spirit
of slavery reigns in the department of
literature, as supremely as in the Cotton and rice fields of Alabama or Car-
l°bject, aim, spirit, duties, blesses, rewards, honors and glo-
-p.t-tv! whose founder came
j to the captive,
;e prison to them
herever 1 travel ifl
in the realms of sla-
""""•"•gmfie.ent and.
beir boa
be burrteti
ned, im; risoi,
dd, and shot like
anu utters a word ot
strance. What is the only s. j^ci
which will now raise a mob?—Abolition. What is the worst character a
man can bear in the Church?—The
character of being an abolitionist
What is the opinion a man takes most
pains to conceal?—Tip opinion that
Slavery is a curse and a disgrace to
the country. What class of men, of all
others, is it that may be ridiculed and
libelled with impunity—in the pulpit, in
public letters, in lyceums, at dinners,
on political platforms?—Abolitionists,
what meetings are they to which row-
tliesand little boys know they may go—
to shuffle, whistle, crow,and cough with
impunity?—The meetings of abolitionists. What religious views are termed
principles of morality and justice" still at this moment sheds its baleful influ
tha same? If my brother is held in un
just bondage, my message is the same,
whether it be to my own or any other
human government. Thus saith the
lord, "break every yoke, and let the
oppressed go free". I have come
amongst you to ciacuss the question on
no low or narrow, grounds. In my
mind it links itself indissolubly with
every topic within the entire range of
religion and human duty. It ascends
to the very being of God, and has to do
with His character, His attributes, and
His moral government ofthe world. It
entwines itself around the spiritual nature, hopes, fears, joys, sorrows—the
present condition and future destinies
of man. It must be understood before
we ean comprehend man's responsibilities, or know the meaning of the command " I am the Lord thy God, ant
thou shnlt have no other God befon
me." This question cannot be separated fom 'he r'o^tnne of a future auc
ec^ft' judgment,, and of a just and uner-
heresies? Those that view man as
man, whatever be his color or hiscoun-j
try. What slave is it of all the slaves
in the world, that an American may
not succour?—The slave born in his
own country, and perchance the son ol
one of its most distinguished patriots.
What animal is it that a Southern man
my hunt over all the valleys, hills and
plains ofthe free States?—Man! The
American Game Laws grant licenses
to hunt this animal throughout the
land, and make it a crime—nay,treason
—to attempt to succor, defend, or
rescue the prey of the blood-scenters
of the South, when on the track ol the
flying and quivering fugitive. No
American will deny that I have drawn
a true picture of the state of his
country.
No American will deny that the pro-
slavery sentiment is the paramount sentiment ofthe United States. Slavery
in America is superior to all law, for ii
is the controlling spirit of the country.
There is no higher code than the
bloody enactments of slavery. The
great religious controversy at this moment in the United States is upon the
sexes, is the sport of those who live to [question, whether there is any higher
ence over every part of the Great Republic to which you are so near neighbors. Three millions of imbru'ed men,
women and children, the chattels of
20,000 tyrannical and sordid men—the
disgrace, as they are the curse of their
species. A money-making confederation, to which the stock is in human
hearts and human souls. While other
men call themselves rich in flocks, and
herds, and fields and farms, these men
count their riches according to the
number of souls that tremble at their
glance, and the capacity of their human cattle to increase and multiply.
They rear children as you would rear
sheep or calves—they put beauty, and
lovliness, and youth, and purity, and intelligence aritl piety up at auction, and
sell them to the highest bidder". They
sell their own children without remorse,
and are filling the shambles of America
■vith the best blood of Virginia and the
gratify their passions. We know, that
marriage—as an indissoluble tie, as a
legal contract, as protected by law, as
giving the husband the right to defend
the wife, is utterly unknown amongst
the three millions of the South. We
know that a bear in the forest, has a
better chance of rearing unmolested her
whelps, and of keeping them when she
has reared them, than the human
mother who suckles slaves. We know,
law than the Fugitive Slave Law; and
the majority—the vast majority of the
Divines go for the superior authority of
the Congress, and preach openly to
their congregations, that thus saith
Millard Fillmore, is more binding than
thus saith the Lord; and that a letter
signed Daniel Webster is infinitely
more worthy of attention than the Ser-
tfion on the Mount. If anything more
than another can prove the horrid in-
that symmetry and beauty, are the cur-1 fluence and dominion of slavery in the
ses of their owners, and mark them out| United States, it is the-fact that because
for infamy and perdition. We know,
that Religion is made to coalesce with
this state of things. That the ministers
of religion are slaveholders, slave-
breeders, graziers in human cattle,
slave-whippers; and the friends, copartners, and co-plunderers, with the
vilest of the vile of the intelligent creation. We know, that humanity is a
crime. The love of equal freedom—the
unpardonable sin; and that the priesthood consent to the martyrdom of the
the demon hates the Bible, the Chris
tian denominations of that country have
consented to withhold it from the three
millions of Southern slaves. Yet, if
any portion of the human race need
the Bible, heaven knows, it is the
slaves. This has always appeared to
me the fact which above ail others
...«a) in verou. _ and
are towering steeples
s priests, and bus)
*r to worship, and a
beginning round oi
a and observances—
re .„..u and ostentatious procla-
ons of the duties and obligations oi
religion, and thanksgivings, and feasts,
and festivals; but all these hide not from
ihe sight the presence of the foul demon
of slavery—his spirit is everywhere—
hia dominion universal—his will depot-
ic. The glorious external creation
seems but the vestibule of his glorious
te.'nple, and all tha rites and ceremonies
of the people seem to be subordinate
io the profound and soul-prostrating
homage paid to this insatiate fiend,who
has seated himself above all that is
called God, and daily demands the living death of three millions of the human race. Amidst all the ten pies ol
America, I see another, and entering
its dreary portals, and penetrating to
the chamber where sits this God ol
America, I behold him amid all the
symbols of pollution and woe, with bis
heel upon the manacled form of American Liberty, surrounded by crushed
hearts, darkened souls, deflowered
maidens, weeping Rachels, and lustful
tyrants—issuing his mandates for the
enslavement of a continent—swaying a
sceptre of scorpions over his quivering
victims—a sceptre of iron over his voluntary, self-degraded vassals, and with
demoniacal exultation exclaiming—See
how these Christians love one another!
And this is the system that has to be
abolished. Oh, this anti-slavery cause
is a cause of surpassing greatness.—
There is nothing little about it but its
advocates. If we would swell beyond
tbe dwarfish dimensions of our own
narrow souis—our own petty prejudices
j—let us gaze often and long-upon the
fabric we are seeking to extirpate.—
There is real grandeur in the gloomy
vastness of the huge superstructure of
guilt we pre seeking to abolish. Try
to measure Its ciicumference, and you
will fail. Let down the line into the
horrid abyss, and you shall bring it up
again, exclaiming — " O the depths!"
Try to count the groans, and agonies,
and sighs pressed by this system into
every instant of time, and arithmetic
shall fail you. Try to penetrate the
future and to grasp the issues of this
system, and your imagination, halting
and weary, shall give up in despair.—
Try to compute the value of one ofthe
millions of souls daily imbruted by this
system—put it into the scale against
the material universe, and it shall make
the vast magnificence of unintelligent
creation to kick the beam,—then try to
compute the value of the slaves, past,
present, and to come. Take up this
work as one of mere humanity—of
mercy to animals. Oh, it is far higher
and holier than this. Christianity must
be exhumed from her sepulchre, and
you must roll away the stone, The
genius of liberty must be disenthralled,
slavery, and an amount of moral cour
age and indomitable zeal and persevet-
ance never excelled in the prosecution
of any other enterprise, not excepting
those of an exclusively religious character. In this conflict, the abolitionists
ask and have a right to expect the t ym-
oathy and aid of the entire civihze.t
world; and the man who is not willing
to give them that which they ask, is n<
friend of liberty* I have been told
since I came to this city, that there are
those in it who inquire, What have we«|
to do with this matter? If any such
persons are here, I would say, Everything. Are you separated geographically and politically from the country
where slavery reigns? We are for thai
very reason the persons best ah' ^to
form an unbiassed and sound ju^*
on the question at issue. T
■ in"■ '' ^jUcDiiuii iliai, Vgs since io
consider what means might be devised
to improve their circumstances and
prospects. In the coarse of the evening a pale, feeble looking woman rose
and asked leave to make some state-
ments. In a modest unaffected strain
she proceeded to unfold a little of her
own experience. She had sought employment in shirt-making, as the only
means she could adopt for self-support,
and has been engaged by a house interested in supplying the California
market. The price allowed her was 10
cents each, and by the closest application she had succeeded in sewing two
shirts a day, or one dozen per week.
She rented a room for which she paid
sixty-two and a half cents a week, out
of her earnings of one dollar and
twenty cents, leaving fifty-seven and a
half cents for fuel, food, clothing, light,
&c, for a whole week!!
For three weeks she had not tasted
meat, except once at the house of ft
lady who asked her to dine. Her
daily fare was bread and tea, and small
allowances ofihcse. The same drawing
of tea was doubtless washed over and
over again till it no longer discolored
ihe water, and this, with the dry bread,
was to furnish the nourishment thai
was to support her through the long
Hours of application. No wonder she
was pale, no wonder her fiail fiama
•rembled and at times seemed ready to
^ink to the floor. She sat down, and a
momentary silence followed, and tears
started in many eyes, and many hearts
were burdened with emotion.
It was enough to call up tears and
burdened the heart, that plain, simple
iale of unrequited toil and suffering.
But, alas, how many more worthy, vir=
tuous, lovely women, capable of being
the angels of home and missionaries of
tenderness and pity among the dia-<
fressed, could tell the same tale, and
woe. We may reckon them by thou«
sands in this city. They are toiling
from twelve to fifteen hours out of tha
twenty-four, and all they make barely
keeps them from starvation. Every
chip, or stick, or piece of coal added to
he little fire over which the poor sew»
ing woman shivers, is parted with sor~
rowfully; she knows not how to make
the fuel last till her task is done. Sha
does not expect to be warm, only to
keep her fingers from stiffening, that
she may sew, sew, sew. She takes
tier dry bread and so-called tea, not ex=
pecting to be refreshed, but only kept
from sinking, that she may sew, sew,
sew. Perhaps she is a widow, and a
little one claims part of her time and
care. But she has no time to love and
fondle it. She can only think of keep»
ing it from hunger and cold. The infant itself, accustomed to its mother's
anxious look, looks anxious too, and
rarely smiles. It is a desperate struggle for life that is going on among all
hese sewing women, and the wonder
is that death and starvation are held at
bay so long. Not less wonderful is it
that we can know of such a struggle
going on in our midst, and not be in an-
,uish oi heart till something is done to
succor the sufferers.
^ree of suffering endured by
our fellow-citizens is in-
i winter when fuel is so dear
'^: - • •- i.^-p iii^m i
lething may be done io a! •
our standing charities.but
rll, of shockingly depressed
wagv.., calls for another and more radical treatment. What shall be done,
and when?—JV. F. Organ.
GEORGE LUNT.
We wonder if the cold passionless
looking being, called Geo. Lunt, who
we saw acting as United States Attor«=
ney, during the examination of the alleged rescuers of " Shadrach," is the
" George Lunt who was born in Newbury port in 1807,"and who is designated by Griswold, in his Poets and Poetry of America, as one whose pieces
are remarkable for that " purity of
taought which distinguishes the writings of the Christian bards!" If the
persons are identical, there must hara
oeen some legerdemain practiced td
change the soul which used to belong
io this particular body. The Hindoos
believe that at death the spirits of tha
departed find local habitations in the
bodies of cows, heifers, pigs, dogs,
lions, tigers and other animals. We
cannot say that we believe in this doctrine of metempsychosis, but if th*
George Lont who used to write poetry
in praise of freemen and freedom, is
identical with George Lunt, the human slave hunting blood hound-in-chief
lor Massachusetts, then we must be-*
lieve that these Hindoos knew a thing
or two. Perhaps the spirit of a wolf
has dispossessed from the cavities of
George Kent's body the human soul
that used to exclaim,
"i\ly burning heart I will not lend,
To serve a doming dispot's away;
A suppliant knee 1 will nut bend
Before these things of bias's and clay,"
for the George Lunt who prosecutes
Christians now a days, and lends his
whole heart and energies ta save a
"despot's sway," and if he d.7£S £Ct
bend to things of brass and clay, ho
bends to a metal that can be more conveniently put in the pocket, and counts
higher in the rate of values amongst the
money changers, We are decidedly
of opinion that if the two George Lunts
resolve themselves into one, then the
nature which the devil intended for
some swine of Tartarus, must have got
into the wrong place, in order to qual"
ify a man with meanness and ferocity
I sufficient to make him the willing myr-
madon of a shameless, malignant, implacable, persecutor of every man
who loves liberty, and who believes
that the laws of the Lord God regnant
in the heavens and on earth, are paramount to the edicts of kidnapperi.—>
The Cost of WAR.-—Give me the
money that has been spent in war, and
I will purchase every foot of land upon
the globe, I wiil clothe every man.
woman, and child in an attire of which
kings and Queens would be proud. I
will build a school-house on every hillside, and in every valley over the whole
earth; I will build an academy in every
town, and endow it; a colege. in every
state, and fill it with able professors; I Mass- &py-
will crown every hill with a place of Xhp. Memory of the Dead.—It ig
worship, consecrated to the promulga- an exquisite and beautiful thing in our
tion ofthe Gospel of peace; I will sup-j nature, that when the heart is touched
port in every pulpit an able teacher of: an(] softened by some tranquil happi-
Carolinas. Oh, what a monster isj emancipatist, and will fold the clothes
man !^Not satisfied wilh the legitimate I of those who stone him, How much
proved the demoralizing influence and and you must break her bonds. Mind,
atheistical character of slavery—that immortal, illimitable mind, waits to be
men who profess to regard the Bible as let into liberty and life. The Bible, in
the Word of God and the revelation of chains, cries, Emancipate me and let
righteousness, so that on every Sabbath
morning the chime on one hill should
answer to the chime on another ro und
the earth's wide circumference; and
the voice of prayer and the song of
praise should ascend like a universal
holocaust to Heaven.—B. Brown.
A man named Gtoige Thompson,
from Massachutts, being in a Southern
Slate lately, narrowly escaped being
ness or affectionate feeling, the me«=
mory of the dead comes over it most
powerfully and irresistibly. It would
almost seen as though our better
thoughts and sympathies were charms,
| in virtue of which the soul is enable to
j hold some vague and mysterious intercourse with the spirit of ihoBe whom we
dearly love in life. Alas! how often
and how long ma) those patient angels
hover above us, watching for the spell
dehbaratel v'a^t Z °1.T' t^u I ^ F ^ The •a/lhkca,l«? De,river I 'ynched °* '"count of his incendiarj [ which is so seldom uttered and so soon
deliberately consent to see it withheld I me from my curse, Labor cries, I am I name, . forgotten!—Ditfoni.